July 28, 2010

I regret being on the road so much lately and not sharing my full jumping up and down joy over Caldwell's commitment with you. I posted several things on Twitter at the time, and just wanted to share them with you here...finally. (Video - Caldwell goes for 43 points)

What We Are GettingHe falls into a category of player that Jim Harrick once labeled "guys that start shooting the moment they get off the bus." Coach Durham called guys like Caldwell "makers" instead of "shooters."

Basically, he's a guy with the confidence of J.J. Reddick, Chris Lofton or Dennis Scott. But he's got more natural athletic ability than those guys. He's not as athletic as Jarvis Hayes, Travis Leslie or Mike Mercer, but he's a capable athlete who can play some defense, create his own shot and bomb from outside and mid-range.

He needs to put on quite a bit of weight to handle more diverse body types of opponents because he's rail thin, but the potential is there. It's not an accident that ESPN, Scout and Rivals all listed him as a Top 10-15 player. This kid is truly special.

How We Got Here:Thank you Lonnie Outlaw. When Outlaw signed on Signing Day, most Dawg fans scratched their head with a collective Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. The signing day value of Outlaw...and Kenarious Gates for that matter are...are more clear now. Mark Fox and Mark Richt were manufacturing momentum and leveraging some lucky breaks:

Lonnie Outlaw (WR) is related to Nick MarshallKenarious Gates (OT) high school bball teammate with CaldwellCaldwell and Marshall are extremely close friends.Clemson's basketball coach leaves.Marcus Thornton (Mr. Basketball) leaves Clemson.Georgia wins Thornton at last minute.Georgia lands Marshall as two sport player.Marshall and Thornton help us land Caldwell.

That's how you manufacture momentum by capitalizing on your lucky breaks and knowledge of relationships.

Lonnie Outlaw (WR) is related to Nick MarshallKenarious Gates (OT) high school bball teammate with CaldwellCaldwell and Marshall are extremely close friends.Clemson's basketball coach leaves.Marcus Thornton (Mr. Basketball) leaves Clemson.Georgia wins Thornton at last minute.Georgia lands Marshall as two sport player.Marshall and Thornton help us land Caldwell.